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Greenwich FactsGreenwich, in north-central Ohio -- about 12 miles east of Willard on U.S. 224 -- is a popular train watching spot because it is where the former B&O main line from Washington to Chicago crossed the former NYC "Big Four" line from Cleveland to Columbus, as well as where the W&LE between Spencer and Carey crossed the B&O. CSX subsequently took over the B&O, and in Conrail breakup, it also gained the NYC/CR tracks and established connections between the two routes. The W&LE stayed independent, but as part of the Conrail breakup, it abandoned its track between New London and Greenwich and now has trackage rights on the CSX rails. Greenwich generally is known as "CP 54," the ex-NYC/CR designation which is more common today, and also as "Boyd" which was the B&O./C&O designation. which some older crews still use. The dispatchers usually use CP 54 or Greenwich. There used to be a NYC tower in the southwest quadrant of the crossing, but the first derailment reduced it from two stories to one. The second derailment turned that into kindling, and NYC closed it and remoted the control to Indianapolis where things were safer. Today the entire Greenwich interlocking is back to being controlled by CSX dispatchers in Indianapolis -- "IP" who also controls the (ex-B&O) east-west tracks between Willard and New Castle, PA., and "IF" who controls the ex-NYC tracks (Big Four) between Cleveland and Columbus It sounds confusing, but having both dispatcher now in the Indianapolis Center, rather than being split between there and Jacksonville, keeps the trains moving through more smoothly. The frequencies in use at Greenwich are, as far as we can currently determine:
Please see the Greenwich Maps page for maps of the principal train watching location in Greenwich, and a couple good spots just west of town. Getting There:Greenwich is on U.S. 224, a main east-west route between Lodi and Willard. Unless you are familiar with the county roads in the area, it's best to stay on U.S. 224 (even despite the heavy truck traffic) to get there.
The principal train watching spot is Kniffen St. on the east side of town. Look for the BP gas station; it's on the corner of U.S. 224 and Kniffen St. Turn north there and cross the first set of tracks where you'll find informal (dirt) parking spots on either side of the street. Please be advised that both spots are for CSX's access to its tracks, and maintainers may ask (not too politely!) you to leave. Please park only in these areas, keeping your car near the street. Do not park in the truck drive or the parking lot of the industry south of the tracks (except on Sunday). The Greenwich police have been known to ticket railfans who park close to the diamond. You can easily walk to good shooting locations along the tracks from there.
For a while Greenwich was not railfan friendly, but this seems to have abated. This situation was because some "locals," usually children, were on the tracks so both the CSX Police and Greenwich Police still take a very dim view of anyone who is in that area -- and may issue citations to court to anyone they find in there. Staying close to where the tracks cross Kniffen St. usually is fine and should not result in ticketing or arrest unless the police feel that there is a safety issue involved. As a Greenwich Police officer told us, "Be safe, be observant, and stay away from the diamonds and private property and you won't have any trouble with us." (The point west of CP 54 where the W&LE tracks to Carey diverge from the CSX main is not accessible; it's surrounded by private property.) Scanner Frequencies:A scanner is a must at Greenwich to know when trains are coming and where they are going -- but sometimes trains just show up unannounced. The frequencies which you should have set up for Greenwich are:
There are talking detectors on the ex-B&O line at MP 199.3 east of Greenwich and MP 47.9 (New London) on the ex-NYC line which will give you an alert of westbound trains. All trains are supposed to call "Edwards Rd." so you'll know when they're coming. Those eastbounds which are headed for Cleveland also are supposed to call "Long Connection" or "Short Connection," depending on how they're routed off the ex-B&O to the ex-NYC tracks. Northbounds call the IF dispatcher for clearance across the diamond when they are about three miles south of town. Train Frequency:From what we have seen, the largest number of trains are on the Willard to Cleveland route. The old B&O Willard-New Castle main ranks second, and the ex-Big Four Cleveland-Columbus line is third. Probably there are at least 80 trains a day through Greenwich. The W&LE runs one or two Spencer-Willard round-trip trains a day; they turn northeast onto the ex-Big Four at Greenwich to New London where the regain their own tracks at CP 47, just north of town. W&LE trains carry as "Z" prefix to their train symbol while on CSX. Food-&-Beverage (And "Facilities")The BP station at the corner of U.S. 224 and Kniffen St. also carries bottled water, soft drinks, and an assortment of snack items. And it has "facilities" for railfans' use. There are no fast-food chain spots in Greenwich, but there are several home-style restaurants in the downtown area which have good, reasonable food (and "facilities"). For fast food you need to go to Willard, about 12 miles west. Greenwich Area:Two other railfanning spots in the Greenwich area which we frequently use are at Edwards Rd., about four miles west of town, and Boughtonville, about seven miles west. Both are on the ex-B&O main line and so see good action of trains to and from Willard. At Edwards Rd., you can park just south of the tracks at the crossing and have good, clear shots east and west. (We have heard reports that a farmer on the south side of the tracks can be a little "contrary" toward railfans, although we have not encountered him yet.)
At Boughtonville, turn north into the short street just west of the road crossing and park near the tracks and the grain mill. You can get some good "down the throat" shots of west- and eastbounds from here (but be careful if you get on the mound next to the signal tower -- it's close to the tracks). Be a little careful here, too, since the grain elevator has been doing some site work in its driveway, and there may be trenches or deep ruts to contend with. |
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